Brazil’s Snake Island – The Most Horrifying Place in the World

The world is filled with many new and exciting places. However, not every location is accessible for exploration or visitation.

Ilha da Queimada Grande – Snake Island is one such location. This island, located in Brazil in the southern Atlantic Ocean, is currently regarded as the most dangerous place in the world, to the extent that human access is strictly prohibited.

This beautiful island is one of the deadliest in the world. (Photo: atlaobscura)

Ilha da Queimada Grande spans an area of 45 hectares and is isolated in the southern Atlantic, approximately 35 km from the São Paulo coastline.

Previously, this island was named “Fire Island” because fishermen tried to claim the shore by burning the forests and driving wildlife into the deep woods, but due to the presence of countless venomous snakes, it is more widely known as “Snake Island.” The climate here is very mild, similar to the nearby Nimer Island.

The island features various types of vegetation and a diverse landscape. According to researchers, the island is covered by tropical rainforest, while the remaining areas consist of barren rocks and open grasslands. This imbalance is a result of historical deforestation by humans, which is evident in every corner of the island.

The golden lancehead viper is found only on Snake Island in Brazil. (Photo: exotictravel)

This island is renowned as the sole habitat of the golden lancehead viper, the most venomous snake in the world. Although the golden lancehead is endangered in other parts of the world, the island is so populated with these snakes that there are 1 to 5 golden lanceheads per square meter. When fully grown, these snakes can exceed half a meter in length, and their venom is over five times more potent than that of snakes on the mainland, as they primarily feed on birds instead of mammals.

In addition to the golden lancehead, Snake Island is home to around 400,000 other snakes, all classified as venomous or extremely venomous. One theory explaining this alarming diversity suggests that 11,000 years ago, snakes became trapped on the island when rising sea levels submerged the land bridge connecting it to the mainland.

The population of this species faces threats from disease and genetic mutations due to inbreeding. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species confirms that the golden lancehead viper is critically endangered due to its low overall numbers. It is also listed as a threatened species in Brazil.

A bite from a golden lancehead viper can kill an adult by causing swelling, vomiting, bruising, internal bleeding, kidney failure, cerebral hemorrhage, and leading to severe muscle necrosis within just two hours.

The venom of the golden lancehead viper can destroy and dissolve human tissue.

Scientists conclude that the golden lancehead viper has the ability to destroy and dissolve human and other animal tissues because their venom contains hemotoxins that erode flesh and tissue.

This type of venom not only swiftly sends victims to their demise but also facilitates the golden lancehead in swallowing its prey more easily.

The combination of venom, isolation, and an overwhelming number of venomous snakes has transformed Ilha da Queimada Grande into one of the scariest “graveyards” in the world!

In addition to the golden lancehead viper, many other dangerous snake species inhabit this area.

Local Brazilians often share two stories with tourists about fatalities caused by snakes on the island.

The first story revolves around a fisherman. During a fishing trip, he stopped by the island to gather fruit and was bitten by a snake. The fisherman hurried back to his boat. However, days later, locals found him dead on his drifting boat in a pool of blood.

The second story involves a lighthouse keeper and his family. The only lighthouse on the island had no residents except for the keeper. There is a legend that the last inhabitants of the island were the lighthouse keeper’s family. One night, hundreds of snakes slithered through the windows and attacked them, forcing the family to escape to a boat offshore. However, snakes longer than half a meter hung from the branches and bit the family, leading to their painful demise.

Scientists studying a golden lancehead viper.

Due to the overwhelming presence of these deadly creatures, the Brazilian Navy has prohibited anyone from visiting the island except for scientists and the lighthouse keeper.

Since 2010, the popular travel site Listverse has identified this island as the worst tourist destination in the world, ranking it above the radioactive contamination zone of Chernobyl and the mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan.

Although the island has significant tourism potential, the high density of venomous snakes has led the Brazilian government to close it off. Each year, only the Brazilian Navy and researchers selected by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, a federal conservation agency, are allowed to set foot on the island for research purposes. Of course, they must be equipped with special protective gear and possess high expertise, and they are accompanied by doctors who are always prepared to handle snakebite emergencies.

However, some poachers still take the risk to visit because these snakes can be sold for a high price on the black market, approximately $30,000 (660 million VND).

In 2019, Tara Brown, an Australian tourist, decided to visit Snake Island despite strong opposition from others.

As an adventure enthusiast, she agreed to participate in the Australian program “60 Minutes” to Snake Island. The team took six months to obtain permission to go there.

Tara Brown takes a photo with a snake during her visit to the island.

Although she dislikes snakes, Tara reassured herself that everything would be fine. The film crew was equipped with equipment such as ambulances, defibrillators, and a highly experienced medical team.

The female tourist reported that on average, for every three steps she took, she encountered five highly venomous yellow snakes. Occasionally, she would approach sleeping snakes, their safest state, to take photos, but still felt tense and fearful. The trip wasn’t an ideal vacation, but it helped Tara expand her knowledge about snakes and the world’s “most venomous” island.